Drinking alcohol while Breastfeeding???

[lissagayle]

Well I dont want anyone to think that Im an alcoholic or anything like that..I'm pregnant with my first child. Havent had a drop of alcohol since I found out I was pregnant.
I'm going to breastfeed my child, been reading books,magazines and anything else I can get my hands on. There are so many different views about having a drink while you are breastfeeding. I really dont know what to do about it, I know I cant picture myself not having a drink for almost 2 years (9 months of being pregnant and hopefully a full 12 months of feeding)!!!

My question is should I not drink, should I express the milk that is contaminated with the alcohol and throw it away or is ok to have a drink every once in a while and not worry about it hurting my baby???

 

[bjshooter]

Well, i am no expert, but if i only had the one i would feed as normal. If i intended to get rather drunk, i expressed after for a while. But as she was sleeping at grandparents whenever i went out for a proper drink i would have had of express anyway, giant boob syndrome otherwise. Was extremely rare i ever drank anyway.

 

[mommyof3co]

I personally could never do it, to me it wasn't worth the risk. Some drs say you shouldn't but many say 1 drink is ok. It's best to do it right after they eat so that your body has more time to process it before they want to eat again. I know there are some girls on here that have more info on it though

 

[lissagayle]

I know that its not worth the risk, and I'm afraid that if I treat myself to a drink, that I will feel horrible about it afterwards.
But I dont want to deny myself just because I'm becoming a mom. I guess this is just the worries everybody goes through when they are having a baby.

 

[mommyof3co]

Yeah some people do think it's fully safe to do in moderation. I was just too scared to do it, so to me it wasn't worth taking the possible risk of it. Some people do it with no problems though

I found this for you to read over, tells you how much and what to do and all that
https://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

 

[ryder]

I agree with MO3... I could never do it, thats just me... If I was going to have any alcohol I would express, however if you have to wake up in the night etc, you shouldn't drink anyways (so they say) because you may not wake up as easily.

Its your choice and im sure no one will look down on you for 1 drink...

 

[marley2580]

I had the odd drink or two when I was BFing, and I will do again. It's only a small amount that passes into your milk. I found that if I was going for a night out I was taking Kaya with me anyway, so I never drank to excess. Pumping and dumping doesn't work by the way as the alcohol leaves your milk in the same way as it leaves your body. The only reason to express while drinking is to relieve engorgement.

 

[Serene123]

My HV said a glass of wine a day while you're feeding is recommended...... I never did it though, I don't drink anyway

 

[bubbles]

I think it's a very personal thing hun some people are fine doing it some aren't. I'm sure they recommend that you wait for 1hr per unit of alcohol before feeding again, for me I would rather express plenty and feed with that

 

[Mervs Mum]

As a rough guide if you are ok to drive yo are ok to nurse so 1 glass of wine is said to be safe. Obviously it's a personal thing. When I fancied a glass I would time is so I started to drink it just as I finished feeding so it had plenty of time to get out of my system before nursing again. I also drank a large glass of water with it. I went out on a Christmas lunch and had 3 glasses of wine. I'd left EBM and when I got home I pumped and dumped. TBH though my urge to feed her was waaay stronger than my urge to have a drink so I've never needed to do that since.

 

[Blob]

Its totally personal, i sometimes have a glass of wine, i'm not a massive drinker anyways... but Tabs wont take EBM
If i do drink then its at night like 8-9pm and i know she will wake at about 4am for another feed so i just have a glass or two (if its my fav bubbles )

 

[Samantha675]

I have found that I have lost my taste for wine, and never want to get drunk again, but I do have the odd margarita, and really only ever finish half of it, so I don't worry about nursing Brenn.

 

[XKatX]

I didn't drink anything when he was erally tiny, but now he is sleeping a lot batter, I will happily have a cheeky one once he is asleep at night. TBH, I don't want anymore than this now. Although ask me that next week, when we're going to a big party. We'll be leaving with Oliver, just as everyone is getting half cut redy for an all nighter! Not sure if I'm jealous or not.

 

[Jemima]

It's funny isn't it. I used to think I would really miss not drinking but I have hardly missed it at all (apart from when we were away on holiday...I was desperate for a few long, cool G & Ts!) I think you are so wrapped up in caring for and feeding your baby, it it just doesn't really register that you are missing out.

 

[Brockie]

I had the odd drink or two when I was BFing, and I will do again. It's only a small amount that passes into your milk. I found that if I was going for a night out I was taking Kaya with me anyway, so I never drank to excess. Pumping and dumping doesn't work by the way as the alcohol leaves your milk in the same way as it leaves your body. The only reason to express while drinking is to relieve engorgement.

what Marley said, pumping and dumping is pointless you just have to wait for the alcohol to pass from your system x

in the early days i didn't drink but now i prob have 1 glass of wine a week, Fred sleeps though mainly now so by his morning feed my milk is ok xxx

 

[Mervs Mum]

Pumping and dumping is primarily to stop engorgement and to send the message to your boobs that you've used the milk

 

[Sarahkka]

I was really strict about no alcohol during pregnancy and I continued to be pretty strict until Simon was about 6 weeks. I would have the occasional glass of wine and I would time it so that I drank directly after a feed and could process the alcohol in plenty of time for his next one. After about six weeks, I did drink one Guinness a day, as it is a traditional milk-booster! (Hey, if you have to pick and choose your old wives' tales !)
I must say, the few times I've had 3 or 4 glasses of wine in the evening, I really noticed it the next day. You need energy to care for a baby and booze needs to be very moderate for me or I really feel like I'm dragging the next day. I drink way less than I used to and I don't miss it at all.

 

[Panda_Ally]

I'm sure one drink now and again wouldnt hurt ur baby, but its totally ur choice.

I went out and had a few drink once when holly was about 10 weeks but when i got home she was hungry and wouldnt take formula or EBM in a cup or bottle, so i had no choice in the end but to feed her, I dont think it did her any harm but i wouldnt do it again cos i still feel really guilty...

 

[lissagayle]

Thank you all for the advice, it really helps. Who knows when she comes along,it prob wont even cross my mind to have a drink for a long time. I know that I will be so busy and tired for a while also,prob will want sleep more than a glass of wine.

 

[Dukechick]

It's okay to have a drink when breastfeeding. Nothing wrong with it. Beer, wine, whatever.

I used to be QUITE the drinker!!!.... the last 9 months have been the longest I've been without drinking!!! It's been very hard! Funny, cuz my friends are always joking with me about it.

There's no way I will go the 6-8 months that I'm breastfeeding without going 'out on the town' a few times!!! I'm afraid I will be doing the 'pump n dump'. We've got a wedding to go to, and some other new moms and I will be going out once in a while too. My baby will have formula (or I'll try to express milk) for feedings when I have alcohol in my system.

xx